Final Fantasy X3: Rise of the Dark Aeons
by Tsukiyomaru
Summary: After her beloved cam back Yuna has resumed her peaceful life on Besaid. But years later mysteries of Spira's and Yevon's past surface and it is up to her two children and their friends to solve the mystery that could destroy Spira. R&R please but no flam
1. Chapter 1

This is my first time writing for any form of Final Fantasy. I've always loved X and X2 and this little plot bunny of mine has been with me for a while, growing bigger and bigger until he broke free and became this story! Er, yeah that sounded a lot better in my head. Hopefully this story is just as good outside of my head as it is inside.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 1: A Mysterious Arrival

A cloaked man walked through the ancient ruins. He ignored the monkeys that ran around him frantically, going about their monkey business. He walked deeper into the temple, steeping over the toppled pillars as he ascended the staircase. He walked into the square blue room and through it, ignoring it's existence. He walked into the main room and up to the front of it where a screen like square was on the wall.

He reached out and placed a black gloved hand over the portion of the wall. The wall glowed with a sinister black light and a pure white glyph appeared on it. The glyph was intricately designed and covered the surrounding area of his hand. The circular elevator behind him glowed brightly and the man smiled from within his hood.

He walked down the small stair case, around the circular elevator and onto it. Glyphs glowed as they surged onto the elevator, but rather than going down as it had so many times before, the circle moved up. A portion of the ceiling opened to allow the elevator passage through a dark tunnel.

The man was calm and silent as he rode up to the top of Zanarkand. He walked off of the elevator and into a dome shaped room. The room was an aquatic blue, similar to the previous rooms that had once been the Cloister of Trials. Glyphs lined the walls, each of them representing the numerous temples within Spira. The man walked to the front of the room and looked out of a large opening to see the view bellow him.

"It looks nice, doesn't it?" someone asked from behind him.

"Indeed it does." The man answered, his voice quiet. "It is a shame it will all be destroyed, just like everything else."

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"No matter what, this time you're going down!" the boy cried as he charged at his opponent. He ignored that hooked sword that had been knocked out of his hands and charged at his enemy head on. He ran as fast as his strong legs could carry him, ignoring the pain he felt in his stomach from the last blow. He jumped forward, intending to tackle his enemy to the ground.

SLAM!

The boy was forced to the ground but the flat end of a heavy spear. He was sprawled out on the ground, his foot twitching slightly. The owner of the spear silently looked down on him, waiting to see if he would try attacking again.

"I guess you loose again Masurao." A young girl said as she walked up to the two boys.

"I will never stay down! I will win!" the fifteen year old boy cried as he jumped up, completely ignoring the large bump on his head that was protruding from his sandy blond hair. He wore a simple blue t-shirt with an odd red symbol on it. The symbol looked somewhat like a jagged V that all three points metting close to the center. He wore black shorts and swim shoes. He turned and pointed at his friend and opponent. "Mark my words, one day you'll fall at my hand!" he exclaimed dramatically.

SMACK!

A blitzball flew through the air and had smacked Masurao's head down again. The boy grumbled from his new position, his face buried in the sand and his behind sticking up in the air.

"Hey!" someone called over to them. "That's not a very dignified pose for the son of the High Summoner you know. You should watch what you're doin', ya?"

"Hi Vidina." the girl greeted. "What brings you out to our spot? Thought you were out training with the team."

Vidina, a man who looked very much like his father had but with shorter hair and none of the stubble, walked up to the group. He picked his blitzball up and held it in his right arm. "I was but we finished early. I figured I'd come see what you guys were up to." He answered.

"Next question, why did you nail me in the back of the head with a blitzball!?" Masurao yelled as he jumped up.

"It looked like you were getting into of your hero moods, so I figured I'd save Celena and Haseo the effort of dealing with you." Vidina answered before throwing the ball at Masurao. This time he was ready though and kicked the ball up and began kicking it his right foot. He smiled at Vidina confidently.

"I'm getting better, huh?" he asked.

"Maybe, but you're still nowhere near good enough to play on the team, ya? Sorry little man, but we're winning this year's championship just like last year's." Vidina answered before he caught ball Masurao was kicking. Masurao frowned before walking over and picking up his hooked sword. He turned and pointed it at who he had been sparring with.

"One of these days I'm going to beat you Haseo!" he challenged. Haseo, a year older than Masurao, wore a sleeveless black shirt and dark blue pants. He shrugged, not offset by Masurao's challenge in the least. His white hair looked like snow that could melt in the island sun and his yellow eyes glowed mysteriously. His skin was oddly pale, despite living on a sun-bathed island."Good luck." He said simply before swinging his spear, which aside from having a larger blade at the end was a normal spear, over his shoulder and walking away from the beach. Masurao glared after him and suddenly smiled.

He took the blitzball from Vidina who smiled when he realized what he had planned. Masurao lined the shot up and threw the ball into the air. He readied his gray hooked sword in his hands and then used the flat end to hit the blitzball forward. The ball flew forward, Masurao excited to see it smack Haseo's head from behind. 'He won't be so calm n,

SMACK!

Haseo had turned and used the shaft of his spear to hit the blitzball back. The sphere soared through the air, and slammed into Masurao's face which knocked him down again. Vidina roared with laughter and Celena began chuckling at her brother's expense.

"Oh man brudda, that was too good!" Vidina laughed loudly. "You should have seen the look on your face when he sent that ball flying back at you."

"Should we count that as another round or just say it was an accident and move on?" Celena chuckled.

"Shut up." Masurao said a she held his nose.

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"Oh boy." Yuna sighed as she helped her son with his nose. She was older now, obviously, but still looked very beautiful. He hair fell to her shoulders and looked similar to when she was a summoner. She wore a combination of her two outfits, a white closed white shirt with a black symbol on it similar to Masurao's, and a long dress like what she wore in her summoner days.

"It's Haseo's fault!" Masurao protested. The blitzball had gotten a lot of force behind it after being hit twice so when it hit Masurao it had slammed into his nose. His nose was now a light purple and swollen, possibly broken.

"Now it's not, it's yours!" Celena said in defense for her friend. Like her mother she had light brown hair, but hers was positioned as two tails. She wore a pink t-shirt and skirt, and black boots. Her eyes were a sapphire blue that normally sparkled in innocent happiness, but now just sparkled with a hint of annoyance. "You're just upset that Haseo always beats you in sparring. This is your fault."

"Shut up." He grumbled to his older sister.

"The good news is, I don't think it's broken. The bad news is, it's going to be swollen like that for a while." Yuna said, releasing her son's head.

"I'm going to look like this!? For how long!?" Masurao asked fearfully as he turned and looked in the mirror. "I look like what you and dad did to Sin!" Yuna and Celena both rolled their eyes.

"It's not that bad." Celena said. "Look at it this way, now you know not to try hitting Haseo with blitzballs from behind. And at least it didn't hit anywhere lower."

Masurao paled for a moment, "That's a good point."

Yuna sighed at her children but smiled. "Alright then. I'm going to go get working on dinner; you Masurao go say sorry to Haseo."

"What? Why? He's the one who did this to me!" Masurao yelled, pointing at his swollen nose.

"Only because you wanted to do the same thing to the back of his head." Celena replied for their mother.

"So!? I still got hurt! I'm the victim here!" Masurao protested.

"Just go talk to Haseo." Yuna said sweetly, but commandingly.

"Alright, fine." Masurao grumbled as he walked away.

"Celena, could you go and," Yuna paused, unsure of how to phrase her request.

"Make sure Masurao doesn't come out with a completely shattered nose? It'll be my pleasure." Celena answered as she followed after her brother. She quickly caught up with him as he headed down the hall of their home. It had originally been the Besaid Temple, but through a series of odd events Yuna and Tidus had decided to make it there home on the island.

"Oh great, did mom make you come to make sure I'm really going to talk to Haseo?" Masurao asked in annoyance.

"No, she wanted me to come to make sure we can still recognize you after you come back out of his room." Celena answered simply.

"What do you expect him to do? He's not the kind of guy to get angry." Masurao said in confusion.

"Yes, but you are. And Haseo knows how to defend himself." Celena answered with a shrug. "I think even you can put those to things together." She chuckled.

Masurao was about to reply, but then stopped and thought about. He slowly nodded his head in agreement. "That's probably a good idea." He admitted. Masurao stopped at the end of the hallway and gently knocked on the door in front of him. Nobody answered, but that wasn't surprising since Haseo never talked much.

"Hey Haseo, about earlier." Masurao said loudly, hoping to be heard through the door. The two waited a few seconds and Haseo opened the door, just enough for him to stand in the way of his room. Masurao smiled at him. "I accept your apology." He said happily.

SMACK!

Celena's hand had shot out, smacking the back of Masurao's head. He slowly looked back up and turned to Celena. "What the hell was that for!? That's the third time I've been hit there today!" Masurao yelled angrily.

"Stop being stupid and apologize for trying to hit Haseo earlier just because you're a sore loser." Celena answered calmly. Masurao glared at Celena angrily, but stopped when he felt a hand on top of his head. Masurao turned back and looked up at the older boy, Haseo standing a full head taller than him. Haseo's face was blank, not letting onto his emotions at all.

"Sorry." Haseo said quietly.

Celena sighed again. "You're always like this Haseo. It's his fault but you still apologize." Haseo merely shrugged as he stepped out of his room and closed the door.

Masurao smiled at Haseo and said, "Well I guess it was sort of my fault really. Sorry I can be such a sore loser."

Celena looked between her brother and friend. She was about to say something when they heard a terrified scream from outside. They rushed to the nearest window and looked out at the village. The only thing they could see was that the people of the village were all converging towards the entrance of the village. The three friends looked at each other, Masurao curious, Celena worried, and Haseo calm.

The three friends ran out of their temple turned home and saw Yuna already moving down the road. A woman walked out of one of the tents, her pale skin glowing in the sunlight. She wore a gray dress with fur lining the revealing top of it. The bottom of the dress had countless belts wrapped around her. Her hair was in a bun with several braids around it. She walked next to Yuna and the two women made their way down the road to see what was causing such a stir.

"Come on guys, let's go see what's up." Masurao said as he ran ahead. Celena and Haseo followed behind and they quickly caught up with Yuna and Lulu. "Hey mom, do you know what's going on?" Masurao asked curiously.

"Not yet, but we will soon." Yuna answered as the group walked up to the crowd. As people noticed Yuna they moved out of the way for the High Summoner. Yuna lead her small group forward and gasped when she saw what everyone had been staring at. Lied out in front of the crowd was what looked like a young boy of about fifteen. He had deep black hair. His body was soaked and his dark blue tunic and black shorts were torn up to the point of almost falling off. What had made Yuna gasp was what was wrong with his right arm.

The arm was broken and shredded, hanging limply from his shoulder by a few veins. The cloth of his shirt was hanging from it in matted folds, revealing shiny gray skin underneath. "Wow!" Masurao managed to yell. "His arm is like a machina!"

"Haseo help me take him to a spare tent." Yuna ordered, Haseo nodding in return. Haseo helped Yuna and Masurao pick the heavy boy up and move him towards one of the tents. "Celena and Lulu go find Vidina. He's pretty smart when it comes to machina so hopefully he'll be able to help."

"Right." Celena said before turning to her aunt. "Vidina was by the beach last time I saw him."

"Let's go then." Lulu said as she walked briskly out of the village with Celena.

Meanwhile, Yuna and the boys put the young man down on a soft bed in one of the tents. Yuns removed his folded over shirt and grimaced slightly at his soaked and injured body. His chest and back were covered in small scratches. His arm, which Yuna was being very careful with to avoid damaging the few wires keeping it attached, was mechanical all the way up to his shoulder. His shoulder looked like it was built into the rest of his body.

"Mom look!" Masurao said in astonishment motioning to the boy's left arm which was also a machina. The same question raced through their minds as they stared at the black haired boy that had wandered into their peaceful village.

What the heck is this kid?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 2: Fiends Attack!

Vidina had appeared a few minutes later, Lulu and Celena close behind. Vidina quickly pushed the younger kids out of the tent so they wouldn't distract him and left them sitting outside. Masurao paced back and forth, becoming more curious and impatient with every passing second.

"Masurao please stop that." Celena sighed quietly.

"I can't, I'm too curious." He answered. "That guy has machine arms for crying out loud. I mean aren't you curious at all about what he is? I mean just look at him, and the way he just wandered into the village like this. I wonder who he is, don't you guys?"

"I guess so." Celena answered from her position of leaning against a tree. Haseo was sitting in front of the tree peacefully and merely shrugged in response.

"Are you guys done yet?" Masurao asked impatiently, sticking his head into the tent.

"Get out!" Vidina snapped, throwing his blitzball into Masurao's head yet again making him fall back.

"If he has any brain cells left after today it's going to be a miracle." Celena muttered, Haseo looking at the fallen boy with a nearly invisible smile. Celena walked over and helped her brother up again.

"Thank you." Masurao said gratefully as he picked the blitzball up and began kicking it up in the air and juggling it. He smiled proudly as he continued working with the ball, starting to do more and more complicated tricks. He kicked the ball up a little too hard and it went flying away from him. "Oops." He said.

"Go get it and apologize if you hit anybody." His older sister ordered.

"Yeah yeah, I know." Masurao said as he jogged towards the brush he had found it in. He moved the plants out of his way as he searched for his missing sports ball. He moved through the plants and soft sand. "Man where did I kick that thing?" he wondered. He turned around and yelled in surprise when he was met by two glowing yellow eyes. He fell back lamely and looked up at who he had run into. "Haseo? What are you doing here?"

"Celena told me to follow." He answered quietly.

"Oh." Masurao said as he stood back up. "Well next time don't sneak up on me."

"I scared you." Haseo said rather than asked.

"You did not! I just thought you were a fiend or something." Masauro snapped embarrassedly. The two boys searched for the blitzball in silence, Masurao feeling awkward around his silent tormentor. Whenever Haseo was around he always seemed to whined up getting hurt or embarrassed. Of course, it was usually through a fault of his own but that's not the point.

"There it is! Masurao said as he pointed up a tree. He turned and smiled at Haseo, expecting him to get it.

"I can't climb." He said simply.

Masurao frowned as he remembered the time Haseo had tried climbing a tree. A childish grin broke out over his face as he remembered what had happened after that. "I guess I'll get it then." Masurao chuckled as he walked over to the tree. The tree was very thick, like most of the surrounding jungle trees. Masurao grabbed a near by branch and pulled himself up. "If I ever get my blitzball stuck in a mountain crevice I'll call you but when it comes to something that requires skill, just leave it to me!" he called back down, happy to be better than Haseo at something.

He reached up and tried grabbing the blitzball. His arms were just barely too short to reach the ball, which had fellen through the leaves and was wedged in three branches. Masurao glared at the ball as he pushed himself further up and grabbed it. He smiled proudly. "I've got you know." He chuckled as he pulled the ball. The ball was stuck in the branches and refused to move. He pulled on the ball harder, using the bulges in it's side as a way to get a good hold of it. He pulled hard, but the ball was stuck.

"Haseo I need your help." He called down.

"I can't climb." He answered.

"Come on Haseo, I've seen you climb up the rocks and mountains on this island easily. It's just a tree, so get your ass up here!" Masurao yelled down.

"I can't climb." Haseo answered, his voice not changing at all.

"Well then what do you think I should do? I'm not as strong as you are, oh no!" he yelled as a branch broke from under him. He fell down, his arms scrambling to grab a branch or something he fell toward the ground and tumbled through branches and leaves. He yelled again as his face got closer to the ground.

He flinched, waiting for a dangerous impact but it never came. He weakly opened his eyes to find himself hanging inches from the ground. He looked up to see his legs tangled up in a mass of vines and broken branches. He sighed with relief, happy to not have suffered an even worse facial injury.

"Masurao can't climb." Haseo said, the ghost of a chuckle in his voice.

"Shut up." Masurao sighed.

SMACK!

The blitzball had fallen from it's loosened orison and had hit Masurao's face at just the right angle. "Is everything going to try hurting me today!?" Masurao howled a she shook violently out of anger. He yelled again as the vines loosened and he dropped down to the ground. He looked up at Haseo who was standing over him, holding the blitzball. "Don't. Say. Anything." Masurao threatened with the taste of dirt in his mouth.

When the boys returned the saw Yuna, Lulu, and Vidina talking with Celena. The group turned to the boys and Vidina smirked.

"Wow brudda, what happened to you?" he laughed. "You look like you just got on the bad side of a ronso, ya?"

"That's one way of putting it." Masurao grumbled.

"What happened to Masurao?" Lulu asked calmly.

"Fell out of a tree." Haseo answered blankly, earning a death glare from Masurao.

"Enough about me and the fact that I attract injuries like dad attracts fangirls. What's with the machine guy?" Masurao asked impatiently.

"We're not sure. Not yet anyway." Yuna answered. "We patched up his wounds and Vidina managed to do some minor repairs to his arms. It's one of the weirdest things I've ever seen though."

"And that's saying something considering all of the freaky things she's seen." Vidina chuckled. "The long story short is, his body is laced with Machina. It's not just his arms but some of his bones are metal, some of his normal nerves or blood vessels have been replaced by wires. It's like he's really half human and half machina. I've enevr seen anybody like him before, ya?"

"So then what about his arm?" Celena asked.

"I couldn't get it back on. There are way too many things for me to mess up if I don't do it just right." Vidina answered.

"What do we do?" Haseo asked.

"We've decided to call in a specialist. Somebody who excels at working with odd types of machines." Lulu answered. The three teens looked confused for a moment before Masurao's face lit up, Celena smiled, and for a brief moment Haseo frowned.

"Aunt Rikku!" the siblings shouted.

As if saying the machine genius' name was enough to cause a disaster, a large crash sounded through the small village followed by a scream. The group ran towards where the loud noise had sounded from and saw several people running away from the area. Yuna gasped in shock when she saw the large fiend attacking one of the buildings.

It was very large, it's body covered in hard scales. It had a reptilian mouth and it's arms were swollen to the point of looking like shields. It's head had a hard shell and it had a hunched back. A stout tall shifted slowly as the fiend lunged forward into the tent again, this time completely destroying it. It was quickly joined by two other fiends that proceeded to charge after some of the people running away.

"What on Spira are those Sallets doing here?" Vidina wondered.

"I'm not sure but I think we should get rid of them." Masurao answered bravely.

"Indeed. We should get rid of them." Lulu said as she stepped forward. "You two run back to the temple and defend it in case some of the fiends break through our defense." A small doll jumped in front of Lulu. The doll was shaped somewhat like a lion and mimicked her movements. She raised her hands and brought them down, unleashing a lightening storm that fried two of the Sallets. "I've still got it." Lulu smirked.

"Not bad mom." Vidina laughed as he threw his blitzball at the other Sallet, knocking it over. "You guys get back to the temple ya? We got things covered here!"

"No way, we can fight them too!" Masurao protested.

"Masurao come on, let's get back to the temple." Celena pleaded with her brother.

"But we can, Wooh!" Masurao cried as Haseo slung the younger boy over his shoulders. Haseo nodded to Celena and the two of them ran towards the temple. Yuna smiled as she watched them go, sure that Haseo would protect her children. But now wasn't the time for that, now was the time for action. Yun drew her gun and aimed it at a charging fiend. She shot the monster, the bullet firing through it's skull and killing it instantly.

"Looks Like I've still got it too." She chuckled with a wink.

Meanwhile, Haseo and Celena were running back to the temple. Masurao protested but the two ignored him. They rushed into the temple and retrieved their weapons in order to guard their home. Haseo dropped Masurao unceremoniously to the ground and stabbed his sword into the ground next to him. "Stand and fight." Haseo barked when a lizard like fiend came rushing towards the group. It was down on all fours and had sharp spines on it's back. It was covered mostly aqua blue.

Masurao smirked when he saw the charging reptile and picked up his hooked sword. He jumped forward and struck at the lizard, creating a large slash on it's back. The lizard hissed angrily and lunged at Masurao, but the boy used his natural speed to his advantage and parried the claw. He spun around and cut the lizard's head off, reducing it to disintegrating pyreflies.

"No problem!" he cheered. He saw a hadow loom over him and turned around to see a fish like fiend jumping through the air. It had harp piranha jaws and it's fins acted like arms and legs. Masurao cried but the fish never struck him. Haseo had lunged forward and shoved his spear through the fish's body and down to the ground. The fish disappeared into a cloud of pyreflies. "Well, maybe a small problem." Masurao said embarrassedly.

Haseo only looked at him for a moment with his hard yellow eyes before turning away and moving back towards Celena. Masurao frowned as he watched Haseo leave, suddenly feeling useless compared to the older boy. However he didn't have long to feel this way as he was quickly attacked by a sallet. Masurao struck his sword against the sallet's arm, but his sword bounced off uselessly. Masurao cried as he charged again, determined to destroy the armored monster.

The sallet lunged at Masurao, shoving his arm into his stomach and knocking him back. Masurao felt the air leave his lungs as the sallet shoved all of his weight into his stomach. Masurao fell back but caught himself before he fell. He lunged at the sallet and beat mercilessly against the sallet's hard head. He cried as the sallet knocked back again and fell over. The sallet charged making Masurao cry out in fear. He lunged his blade forward, surprised when he felt it sink it. He opened his eyes to see his blade had been shoved through the sallet's softer stomach and out of his back.

"That's it!" Masurao cried as he jumped up. He turned to see Haseo defending Ceolena against two sallets. He charged forward and struck one of the sallets through their stomachs, destroying it instantly. Haseo saw what the younger boy had done and smiled, knowing just what to do. The sallet ran towards him with reckless abandon, but Haseo would not back down. He stopped the fiend's charge with his spear's shaft and glared at the fiend. He pulled back, letting the sallet's own weight and force carry it forward.d He grabbed it's head and a light blue energy surrounded his hand and the sallet.

Haseo twirled his spear and then raised it up and through the sallet's head, moving his hand away just in time to avoid piercing himself. Celena let out a sigh of relief when she saw the fiend disappear. "So, get anything interesting?" she chuckled. Haseo only shook his head, a very slight frown on his face.

"That little trick should make getting rid of the sallet guys easier huh?" Masurao asked confidently.

"Alright, I'll admit it. You get extra points for that one Masurao." Celena laughed, earning a smile from Masurao.

"Yep. I saw something even Haseo didn't." Masurao said confidently, resting his head in his hands. Haseo ignored his comment and instead charged at another lizard fiend.

"It's not a competition you know." Celena said.

"I know, but if it was I know I'd get second place. Way ahead of you and just barely behind Haseo." Masurao laughed.

"Hey, just because I don't have my weapon with me doesn't mean I can't kick but too you know." Celena shot back.

"Yeah yeah, next time don't break your own weapon. And people say you're the more responsible one. It's a good thing dad was heading to Luca anyway, or who knows how long it would be before you could get your weapon fixed. How did you break something like that anyway?" Masurao asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Celena answered.

Masurao shrugged before looking around. While he and Celena had been taking Haseo had finished off the remaining fiends that had tried breaking into the temple. Masurao frowned when he saw all of the pyreflies moving away and Haseo bent over, his spear in his hands. "Wow Haseo, you work fast." Masurao admitted. Haseo turned and gave the two a weak smile.

"How are things going on over here?" Vidina asked as he ran up to the group.

"Pretty well. Haseo and I took these guys out." Masurao answered.

"It was Haseo mostly." Celena corrected.

"That's no surprise. The little brudda has always been a great fiend hunter." Vidina chuckled, patting Haseo on the back.

"Why the attack?" Haseo asked, his breathing returning to normal.

"We're not sure why they attacked the village, but most of them are gone. Your mom is out getting rid of the last of them. She's still got great aim after not fighting for so long. I guess she's been finding time to practice ya?" Vidina answered.

"Well mom has had her fair share of fiend hunting." Celena answered, a proud smile on her face.

"Yeah, if mom can dismantle something like Vegnagun then some sallets are no problem. It doesn't matter how old she is!" Masurao agreed.

"What about that?" Haseo asked as he pointed towards the main pathway of the village. Masurao, Vidina, and Celena's jaws collectively dropped when they saw the fiend leading the other fiends. It was a very large, very muscular, and very angry looking fiend made of thick samurai armor. In it's right arm was a very large, very thick, very heavy looking sword. It's eyes were glowing lights that stared over at the group. It slowly raised it's sword and let out a roar of rage.

Then, it charged right for them.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 3:

The Iron Giant charged at the group, it's enormous sword raised above it's head. Haseo picked Celena up and jumped away while Vidina pushed Masurao and then dove down to the ground. The Iron Giant's foot landed an inch away from Masurao's face as it charged past them, it's weight and speed too much to let it stop yet. It stumbled forward and slowly turned to the group. It's yellow eyes glowed, it's hand clenched around it's sword.

"This is not going to be easy." Masurao muttered as he jumped up and got into a battle stance.

"Looks like those other guys were the small fry ya? This one is the boss." Vidina agreed as he picked his blitzball up. "Come on then, we'll show you what happens to fiends that attack our village!"

The Iron Giant roared, somehow, as it charged at the group. Vidina smirked as he pulled back and threw the blitzball with great force. The ball smacked the knight's face, making his head pull back a bit. Vidina jumped forward and caught the ball and focused on it. The ball ignited into bright flames as he threw it into the giant, knocking it backwards.

"Wow Vidina, I didn't know you learned magic from your mom too!" Masurao cried.

"Of course, blitzball and magic are in my blood!" Vidina answered. He turned and heaved the ball at the giant as it stood up but this time the giant was ready. It swung it's sword up from the ground and knocked the ball away. "Of course I'm useless with either unless I have my ball." Vidina added as the giant ran towards them again.

"You get the ball, we'll distract him." Celena said as she ran up to Vidina.

"No way, you don't have your weapon!" Vidina protested. Haseo appeared in front pf the two of them and stabbed his speared into the ground. He walked towards the charging knight and gathered blue energy into his hand. He surged it forward, creating a blue of translucent energy that knocked the knight off course. It charged past the group, but quickly corrected itself and watched the group.

"I think he realized we're more trouble than he thought." Masurao said worriedly.

"Yeah it'll take more then just blind charges to beat us ya?" Vidina agreed.

Haseo was silent as he stopped in front of Celena. "Take the spear." He ordered harshly. Celena complied and picked the long weapon out of the ground. She stepped further behind the boys, worried for each of them.

"Why did my weapon have to break?" she muttered.

"Here it comes!" Masurao cried. Rather than charging the giant bent down and leaped up into the air. Even Haseo had a look of shock, albeit less than the other boys', as he watched the large giant leap into the air and swing it's sword down. The group scattered out of the way, but the force from the blade landing was enough to knock Masurao down to the ground. He picked his sword up and charged back at the giant. He cried as he swung his hooked sword down and struck the armor of the giant. His blade bounced off but he charged again, striking as hard as he could.

The giant kicked his foot out and knocked Masurao back, the sword strikes doing little more than just scratching his armor. Vidina picked up his blitzball and threw it forward but the giant knocked it away again. Haseo stayed behind, his hands glowing blue. "Heaven's Cataract." He said calmly as he unleashed another blue wave of energy. The giant pulled back slightly, it's armor growing dull.

"His defense is down." Haseo said. The two boys nodded to each other as they attacked again. This time Vidina covered his blitzball in magic ice and kicked it towards the giant. The giant was knocked back and lost it's balance. Masurao charged forward and put all of his strength into striking the giant's leg. The giant fell back, creating a small quake that shook the group a bit.

"Alright, we did it!" Masurao cheered.

"Not yet we didn't." Vidina replied as the giant stood up. "Man this thing is annoying."

The giant grabbed it's sword as it stood up. It glared at the group, but Haseo didn't plan on giving it another chance it attack. He unleashed another blue wave of energy at the giant, knocking him back again. Haseo bent over, his hands resting on his knees. The third Heaven's Cataract seemed to be taxing on him.

"Don't over do it Haseo!" Celena warned her friend. He gave her a brief reassuring smile as he walked towards the giant. The giant got up even quicker this time, clearly angry that it's armor was being weakened by Haseo. It leapt up again and struck at the group. Haseo was knocked over by the enormous energy the giant had s it landed. Masurao jumped in front of his friend and struck the knight, it's armor breaking under the blade.

The giant roared as it kicked Masurao away. Masurao was knocked aside like a rag doll, completely unconscious before he even landed. Vidina threw his blitzball at the giant, knocking it to the side. It roared as it pulled back and retaliated by throwing it's sword at Vidina. Vidina cried as the sword's blunt side knocked into him, a sick crack being heard.

Celena couldn't take seeing her brother and friend being knocked around anymore. She charged at the giant and struck at his heal, making him roar in pain. He turned around and glared down at Celena's determined eyes. He raised both of his fists to crush Celena, but was knocked to the side by another wave of energy from Haseo. Celena looked over at Haseo worriedly, only to see him wearily fall to his side.

"You idiot, you can't use moves like that too much! You know the kind of strain it puts on your body." Celena scolded as she ran over to her friend. She knelt down beside him and he weakly smiled back.

"I had to protect you." He answered as he tried standing up. "I promised."

"No you idiot, just say down and leave this to me!" Celena ordered, trying to push Haseo down. Haseo shook his head weakly, his eyes closing as Celena lied him down. The giant loomed over them, casting a large shadow. Celena stood up and readied the spear, trying to mimic the position Haseo normally took. The giant laughed, obviously able to tell that Celena was inadequate at handling a weapon like a spear. "Shut up and bring it!" she snapped. The giant roared a sit raised it's fists and slammed them down onto the girl.

BANG!

The giant stumbled to the side as something hit. Celena looked over and saw the machina boy glaring at the giant. His body was covered in bandages, his tunic still removed. His broken arm was set in a sling but his other arm seemed to be working fairly well. He smirked at Celena before waking towards the giant. It stood up and charged at the boy but he was prepared. He pulled something from his pocket and threw it at the giant. The small metallic ball exploded in front of the giant, tearing through it's severely weakened armor. The giant fell back as it's body slowly disintegrated into pyreflies.

"Grenades aren't my favorite but they get the job done." The boy said before suddenly falling to his knees and then completely down.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh no, I wish we had gotten there sooner." Yuna said as she worked on healing Vidina's wounds. Luckily the boys weren't too injured. Masurao only had a bump on his head, Haseo had merely fainted from exhaustion, and Vidina had a minor rib fracture that Yuna could heal with her white magic easily. "We were busy dealing with our own problem though."

"The Iron Giant had a friend. Two to be exact." Lulu answered.

"Geminis? But those aren't native to Besaid." Celena said in confusion.

"Exactly. And they've never attacked the village from the outside before either." Lulu answered.

"This is so confusing. I wish Dad and Wakka were here." Celena said, looking over at Haseo's spear resting by the sleeping boy. "I was useless for this fight, I can't believe it."

"Relax, you've proven yourself plenty of times before." Yuna consoled her daughter.

"I guess." Celena answered. She looked over at the still unnamed machina boy. "Still, if he hadn't appeared when he did then we'd be dead. It was a good thing he had those extra grenades tucked away."

"It's a good thing Vidina was too worried about his injuries to realize he had them." Lulu agreed in her own way.

"There, Vidina should be good as new when he wakes up." Yuna said cheerfully.

"Wow mom you're great at that white magic stuff. It's been a while since you've really had to use it for anything serious. Nice job." Celena said proudly.

"Not at all Celena." Yuna said, shaking her head. "People get hurt all the time on this island and it's my responsibility to help those who do. Just like it's their job to help protect the village."

"Well they did a pretty good job today. These boys deserve a quiet rest." Lulu said as she left the small house.

I agree. Are you going to watch over Haseo Celena?" Yuna asked, a knowing smile on her face.

"Yeah, I suppose." Celena answered but then looked at her mother. "Why did you only say Haseo's name?" she asked.

"No reason." Her mother chuckled as she left the tent. Celena watched her go, a small frown on her face. She turned back to her sibling, savior, and friends as they slept. She shrugged as she sat down next to them and enjoyed the quiet calm after such a dangerous battle.

It was night by the time everyone woke up. The last to do so was the machina boy who looked around the moonlight house in confusion. He felt his nearly severed arm and grimaced slightly, worried about what it would take to repair it. He sleepily looked around, still tired from everything that had happened before. He slowly stood up from the soft bed he had been on and carefully put on his tunic.

He walked out of the hut and looked out at the village. Several people were gathered around a small fire, a dull roar of talking coming from it. They all seemed relatively happy, though some seemed to have injuries. The boy looked around, noticing that some of the buildings were broken down a bit. "Right, those fiends attacked." He muttered. "I wonder where that girl I saved is."

"Hey!" someone called over to him. He looked over and saw a familiar looking boy running over to him. "I'm glad you're finally uo. Thanks for saving my sister earlier." The boy said gratefully.

"Your sister?" the machina boy asked.

"Yeah, you saved her from that Iron Giant." The boy answered with a smile. "I'm Masurao, nice to meet you and thanks again." Masurao held his hand out to the boy but he seemed to be ignoring him. He looked over at the people, a curious frown on his face.

"Why are people celebrating?" he asked quietly.

"Because nobody was hurt." Masurao answered cheerfully. "Even though so many fiends attacked we all managed to keep the people safe from any serious harm. Some of the buildings could be doing better but nothing too bad happened overall. So before worrying about repairing the village we're having a small celebration."

"I see." The boy said. Masurao stared at him confusedly as he watched the people talk and laugh. "Masato." He said quietly.

"I'm sorry?" Masurao asked.

"My name is Masato." He repeated.

"Oh, well it's nice to finally know who the mystery machina guy is." Masurao chuckled. "Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends." Masurao walked towards the people, leaving Masato behind. He shrugged before following after the other boy. Masurao walked up to his friends and turned back to show them Masato.

"Masato, this is my sister Celena, my friend Haseo, and my coach Vidina." Masurao said proudly.

"Coach? Oh no brudda, don't go saying that I'm the one that taught you those mediocre moves." Vidina laughed.

"Vidina are you drunk?" Celena asked.

"A little bit." The older boy answered before taking a long drink from a cup.

Haseo remained silent as he scanned the newcomer with cold, hard eyes. Masato felt himself squirm a bit under his cold gaze, suddenly feeling as if he were being stalked by a dangerous animal. He put on a weak smile and held his hand out to the sitting boy, but Haseo only stared at him in return.

"Oh Haseo stop that." Celena scolded him. Haseo looked away from Masato, his eyes drifting bovver to Celena. "I'm sorry about him. He's not very good around new people." Celena apologized for her friend. Haseo let out an indignant grunt and looked away from the group entirely. Celena rolled her eyes and puched Haseo's arm playfully, but the boy ignored her.

"Come on Haseo, this was the guy who saved us!" Masurao cheered. "We should all be thanking him and stuff."

"Ah come on brudda, you know how Haseo gets with new people." Vidina laughed.

Masurao subconsciously touched his right hand and chuckled nervously. "Well don't worry, Haseo will warm up to you eventually. In the mean time tell us about yourself. You're half machina, there's got to be a story behind that!"

"Masurao stop it." His older sister scolded. "If he wants to tell us then he will, but if not don't push him. It's up to him what to tell us and what not to tell us."

"Yeah alright." Masurao grumbled. "Well at least tell us what happened to you."

"I was attacked by fiends and they really did a number on me." Masato answered. He looked down at his useless arm worriedly. "How can I fix my arm from something like this? If it just had a few wires damaged then it wouldn't be too hard, but my arm is almost completely torn off."

"Don't worry, our mom called in a machina specialist. There's nothing she can't fix." Masurao said proudly. "And if it isn't broken, she'll fix it until it is and then fix whatever she did to it so it is fixed again."

"That actually made me a little worried." Masato said.

"So what are you doing on the island? Nobodies ever seen you around ya?" Vidina asked.

"I'm here on some minor business. I'd rather not go into details right now." Masato answered. Haseo grunted, clearly not satisfied with Masato's mysterious answer. Masato glared at the back of the boy's white haired head. Haseo seemed to notice the gesture, and turned his head enough to look back at him and glare with his visible right eye.

"Oh boy." Celena sighed. "I get the feeling these two are going to be a problem."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 4: Rikku Arrives!

Masato sat on the soft sand of the beach on Besaid Island. He and the group had been helping to fix up the damage done by the fiends. Despite his literally broken arm he had tried to help as much as he could since Yuna had been nice enough to give him an extra room in the temple. But now that the manual labor was over he was free to rest on the beach in peace.

At least until the rest of the group had finished their work as well. "Hey Masato!" Masurao called over to the relaxing boy. Masato looked back and saw Masurao wearing a blue swimsuit running over to him. "There you are. You sort of disappeared back there after we finished working."

"I just wanted to relax a bit." Masato answered. Masurao shrugged before moving out into the water. Masato looked around the peaceful beach and felt a little happy being in the peaceful scenery.

"Hey Masato!" Masurao cried over to him. "Come on in! The water won't hurt you!"

"Idiot." Masato sighed.

"Sorry about him, he's a little slow." Celena said. Masato turned back to see Celena wearing a one piece red swimsuit that fit her perfectly. He blushed a little bit and looked away quickly, earning a small chuckle from Celena. "He means well though." Celena added before walking out to the water. Masato couldn't keep from watching her until a shadow fell over him, making him squeak in fear.

He slowly looked behind himself to find Haseo wearing a black swimsuit glaring down on him, his body surprisingly thin and lithe despite the amazing strength he used against the fiends. "H-Hey Haseo." He stuttered. Haseo glared down on him wordlessly, his eyes not leaving Masato's for a second. 'Yeah, he caught me eyeing Celena.' Masato thought fearfully.

"Oh Haseo." Celena sighed. She walked back on shore and grabbed the boy's arm. "Come on, let's leave Masato alone and let him rest. Stop being so mean to new people." She scolded. She pulled Haseo away, the white haired boy following with a reluctant look on his face. Celena pulled him into the water but before following her, he looked back and sent one more glare at Masato.

"I need to be careful about him." Masato muttered. "It's like a monster is glaring at me."

"Ya, that's Haseo alright." Vidina said as he walked up to Masato. "It's not just new people he doesn't like, he's jealous that you saved Celena when he couldn't."

"So basically he hates me and will for a while." Masato said bluntly.

"Yep, be careful brudda. He won't do anything openly bad to you, but you can bet he'll be against just about anything you agree with." Vidina chuckled. "And don't even try warming up to Celena so he'll be more open to you. If anything that'll make things worse for you."

"So I'm dealing with a jealous boyfriend that can snap my neck? Great." Masato said sarcastically. Vidina only laughed in return before throwing his blitzball over at Masurao. The boy didn't notice it coming at him and it smacked the back of his head, tripping him up and knocking him completely into the water. Masato found himself chuckling slightly at the other boy's expense.

He watched the group play and slowly felt himself relax. He found himself wishing he could join them, but that was dangerous for him even if his arm wasn't completely severed. He sat back in the warm sun and smiled as the gentle sea breeze drifted through the sandy beach. The blitzball rolled over to him and Masurao yelled over to him.

"Hey! Throw it over here!" Vidina yelled over.

"Come on! You can throw a grenade so throw the ball!" Masurao cheered.

Masato smiled and stood up, careful to not move his arm too much. He picked the ball up with his okay arm and threw it as hard as he could. The ball flew through the air and towards Masurao. "I got it, I got," The ball flew past Masurao's outstretched arms and smacked him in the face, knocking him back into the warm water. He picked the blitzball up and sighed. "Why does this always happen?" he lamented.

"Just unlucky I guess." Celena chuckled. She smiled as she scanned the beach for what she was looking for. She rolled her eyes when she saw Haseo curled up, sitting on a small area in the water. The water was barely waist high when you sat down on the spot and a part of the small cliffs you could climb hung just right to cast the small area in shadows.

"He's in his usual spot ya?" Vidina chuckled.

"Yep." Celena answered with a fake sigh and a shrug. She swam over to her friend and sat next to him. Haseo looked out towards the horizon, seemingly not noticing or caring Celena had come. Celena smirked and pushed the boy slightly closer to the water, moving him very slightly off of the ledge. He grunted and put returned to his spot. Celena pushed him again, a playful smile on her face.

"Come on, the water is fine." She said reassuringly. "It won't bite."

"I know." Haseo answered quietly, looking away from Celena.

Celena frowned and out a hand on his shoulder. "It's never too late to learn how to swim." She said reassuringly. Haseo flinched slightly, earning a small smile from Celena despite her self not wanting to. "Two things." She said seriously. Haseo frowned and looked back at her. "Water and caves." She continued. Haseo blinked and turned away with a grunt.

"Yep, that's what you said remember?" Celena continued. "A little after we all first met you, we went out on the island. We all had a lot of fun, but at the end of the day a Sallet attacked us. You battled against it and killed it by knocking it off a cliff and drowning it. After that Masurao asked you if there was anything you were actually afraid of." Celena smiled knowingly again. "And you said 'One thing, caves.'"

"But then," she chuckled, pushing Haseo again. "We went to the beach the next day. You were pretty excited, even if you didn't show it. You'd never been to the beach before, and even though it was so hot you still loved the soft sand and cool water. But then when we all went out to the water, you stopped. Masurao asked if you were okay and you just nodded in return."

"I wasn't okay." Haseo said quietly.

"That's right." Celena continued. "You didn't know how to swim. So when we all started playing in the water and you stood on the shore, you started feeling embarrassed. When Masurao, that loveable moron, started taunting you, you ran out into the water to prove him wrong." Celena pushed Haseo again, scooting him further off of his ledge.

"Lapse in judgment." Haseo answered.

"A pretty big one." Celena laughed. "Vidina had to drag you out of the water and when we went back to the shore and you could breathe again, you said something. 'Two things, water and caves.'" Celena didn't have to see Haseo's face to know her normally stone faced friend had a slight blush over his face. She laughed one more time before pushing her friend right off the ledge, making him gasp in shock. Haseo fell into the water with a loud splash, the cold water covering his body.

He lifted his head out of the water and clung to the ledge. He stared up at Celena, a very slight hint of anger within his eyes. Celena helped him onto the ledge and he sat next to her. This time however, he sat with his hands in front of him and gripping the front of the stone perch. Celena laughed at Haseo, but he remained firm and indifferent.

"So how much longer do you think it'll be?" Vidina asked.

"Until what?" Masurao asked.

"Until Celena and Haseo admit their head over heels for each other." Vidina laughed.

"A while since Haseo hardly ever talks." Masurao chuckled.

"Hey party people!" a loud voice cried from the shore. Masato flinched when the loud voice filled his ear and looked behind him. Walking out onto the beach was a girl with a smirk on her face. She had spiky blonde hair and fair skin. She was wearing a silver top that showed her stomach and fingerless brown glove with cuffs. She wore jeans and black shoes. Odd pieces of silver armor were on her upper arms and her eyes were also silver.

"It's Loaño!" Masurao cheered as he and Vidina went to the shore.

Celena swam back as well while Haseo walked through the shallow edge of the small alcove he had been in. The group got to the shore and walked up to Loaño. Masato frowned in confusion at the new girl and stood up, slowly moving over to the new girl as well. Everyone was exchanging greetings and giving the teenage girls hugs. Masato let out a small laugh when Loazño pulled Haseo into a big hug since it was obvious he wasn't going to hug her. Haseo glared at Masato for a moment, his laughter shrinking to a nervous chuckle. Loaño let go of him and turned to Masato, his eyes widening when he noticed the distinct spiral in her eyes.

"So you're the machina guy huh?" she asked. She pulled Masato's left arm closer to examine it. "This is some pretty good work." She said interestedly. She looked over at Masato's damaged right arm and frowned a bit. "Don't worry; my mom can fix you up."

"Wait, so your mom is Rikku?" Masato asked.

"Yep, that's here." Loaño answered. "She and dad are back with at the temple chatting it up with your parents and stuff. They told me to come get you guys."

"Finally!" Masato sighed. "Maybe now I can get my arm fixed."

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

"Hey mom!" Loaño yelled into the temple. "I brought back the broken kid!"

"I'm not broken." Masato said quietly. "My arm is just a little on the damaged side."

"Oh, so not broken." Loaño said sarcastically. "But broken."

"Just get your mom." Masato grumbled.

A few minutes later Masato was sitting in one of the extra rooms of the temple. Rikku, looking as thin and mischievous as ever, was examining his arm with an odd mechanical visor over her right eye. She was wearing a yellow top with long sleeves that showed off her stomach and a bit of her assets. She had tight pants that fell down to her knees, showing off her figure. She had black fingerless gloves on her hand as she gently moved Masato's arm around.

"Ouch!" Masatio cried for the fifth time in the past four minutes.

"Sorry." Rikku chuckled.

"Maybe I should take a look." Gippal suggested.

"Why, afraid I'll break him?" Rikku chuckled.

"Honestly, yes. I am." Gippal answered.

Rikku didn't reply. She gently replaced Masato's arm in it's sling and stood up. She seemed to be in an uncharacteristic thoughtfulness. She was oddly quiet for a moment as she thought everything over. "Okay!" she said as she finished her thinking. "Lo, go back to the airship and get my engineer stuff. Yunie, go get me some paper and pens so I can make notes and blueprints and junk. And one of you other guys go get me a sandwich. I'm hungry."

The two girls went to get the required stuff while Masurao, Celena and Haseo looked at each other. "Not me." Celena said, raising her arm slightly.

"No." Haseo said simply.

Masurao looked between his sister and Haseo. "Fine, I'll be right back." He left the room and left the other five alone.

"Where's Vidina?" Gippal asked. "I thought he'd want to see this."

"He did but you know him and practicing with the team." Celena answered with a shrug. "He left the beach to go start practice when we left to come up here."

"You're dad is still gone huh?" Rikku asked.

"Yep, he should be back tomorrow though." Celena answered. "Hopefully he got my weapon fixed as well."

Yuna came back then and Loaño shortly after that. She had a big bag with her and placed it next to Masato. She carefully took out all sorts of devices, ranging from large wrenches, to small drills, to large drills, to small tweezers, to strange and complicated looking devices. She also took out several pieces of metal, curved and bent in odd ways. "I figured you might need extra metal for his arm or something so I brought some extra from one of the gauntlet weapons you never use anymore." The teen said.

"Good thing!" Rikku praised. "Okay, Yunie give me the paper and pen please." Yuna nodded and handed the things over. Rikku scribbled a few notes down. "I won't go into big details or anything but basically the wires in his metal arms are connected to his actual nerves. That means that, long story short, the wires convert his brain impulses into orders so he can use the arms as his own."

"I already know that." Masato said impatiently.

Loaño took one of the tweezers and poked one of his wires, making him cry out in pain. "Don't interrupt my mom." She said with a smirk.

"Basically what I need to do is reattach the wires and nerves, or completely replace the damaged wires." Rikku said, Loaño taking out several wires while she explained. "Plus, I need to replace the broken metal covers which is why Lo brought the extra metal sheets. And there are a few other broken pieces that I need to replace." She looked at Masato with a small smirk. "Sorry kid, but this is gonna hurt."

"I got my arm torn off." Masato answered. "I doubt putting it back on will hurt more than that."

"Don't say she didn't warn you." Gippal said.

"Hey Aunt Rikku, I have your sandwich." Masurao said a she walked back in with the sandwich on a plate.

"Great! I'll start after I eat." Rikku said happily.

"I want my arm fixed now!" Masato whined. Sure it was out of character, but he had his arm almost completely severed. He wanted it back on as soon as possible.

"Fine, but don't blame me if you get bread crumbs in your arm joint." Rikku answered with a shrug. She set her food down and got her tools ready. She slowly began the procedure and Masato began flinching every time she touched one of the wires or plugs where it went. Overall though, it wasn't too painful and really just more of an annoyance.

"Wow." Rikku said suddenly in awe.

"What?" Masato asked worriedly.

"Is something wrong?" Yuna asked.

"This sandwich is amazing." Rikku said. "Masurao what did you do to it?"

"Focus!" Masato snapped.

"Right!" Rikku chirped. "Now we need to remove your arm covering." Rikku picked up the medium sized drill and, with what Masato swore was an excited look; she began unscrewing the bolts that held the metal covering on his arm. Loaño and Celena gently lied Masato back onto the ground so Rikku could have a full view of his arm and move it freely. Rikku removed the last of the metal, revealing the wiry, metallic, interior of his arm. There was a central piston that would bend like an elbow would, and metal pieces that would allow Masato to move his hand and fingers normally. "As I thought." Rikku said confidently. "You're a freak kid, but a freak that I can fix."

Rikku set to work with removing the broken and torn wires. Masato let out a gasp whenever she had to unplug one of the wires' ends that allowed them to work like nerves. It was as if every time Rikku removed the wire, he was being stabbed with a knife. After removing a few Rikku took one of the new wires and after a bit of fixing, attached the sensory receptor to it and replaced it in Masato's arm, making him cry out in even more pain.

"We should go." Haseo said calmly.

"Agreed." Everyone but Masato and Rikku said.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

After Rikku finished fixing Masato's arm she left the room to let the teen sleep. Masurao had wanted to go see him, but Rikku refused. "No way! He's dead tired after I out him through that."

"Well I just want to see if he's alright." Masurao said.

"I'm sure he's fine." Yuna said comfortingly. "We just need to give him a bit of time to rest. Then when he wakes up we can ask why he's here and what happened."

"Alright I guess." Masurao said quietly. "I'm going to go outside then." Masurao left the temple and walked out into the bustling town. Most of the repairs had been finished by then. He asked a few people where his sister had gone and he moved through the town to where they said she was. "Hey Celena." He greeted when he walked up to her."

"Hey." She greeted. "How's Masato?"

"He's still asleep." Masurao answered. He looked over to see Haseo, Vidina, and Wakka all working together on fixing the house. Everything had been easy for the most part, the job was almost finished. Haseo lifted the last wooden beam and brought it over. Celena noted in the back of her head the three girls that had been watching from a bit out of the way.

"I can take it from here guys. You deserve a break after working so hard today." Wakka said.

"Thanks Dad." Vidina answered as he and Haseo walked over to Celena.

"Hey Vidina. How did practice go?" Masurao asked.

"It went great." Vidina answered. "We're definitely gonna win this year. How about that Masato kid?"

"Aunt Rikku fixed him up and now he's sleeping it all off." Masurao answered.

"Alright then. What are you three gonna do now?" Vidina asked.

"Not sure. It's getting a little late to go to the beach again." Celena answered thoughtfully.

Masurao was about to make a suggestion when the piercing shriek of a little girl filled the air. The group ran toward the source of the noise hurriedly, leaving the town slightly and going out to the forest. They didn't have to go far before seeing the little girl that had cried out. The group stopped in shock when they saw why the girl had screamed. It was a massive plant-like beast with a massive mouth filled with sharp teeth. It was mostly circular with a mass of roots and vines for legs. It had a whole forest of snail-like eyes on the top of it's head. It's mouth oozed with drool as it stared down at the girl.

"A Malboro!" Masurao cried out in shock.

As if on cue the large beast roared and charged at the girl. Haseo jumped forward and picked the girl up. He jumped away from the Malboro, narrowly missing being devoured by it. He set the girl down. "Run!" he ordered. The girl nodded in fear and ran through the forest and back towards the town.

"Why is this thing so close to the town?" Masurao asked in fear as the Malboro lifted it's head up and looked around with it's mass of eyestalks.

"The same reason as the other fiends I would guess." Celena answered.

The Malboro looked at the group slowly and calculatingly. It let out a roar, a hideous smell coming from it's mouth. It charged through the forest, towards the town. It's roots crawled and pulled it across the ground as it charged with surprising speed. "We have to go warn," Masurao was cut off when he saw Haseo charged past the Malboro. "The town." He trailed off slowly.

"Come on, you need to get your sword!" Celena said urgently as she pulled him away.

"Right!" Masurao answered as he ran next to his sister. 'It won't do much good though.' He thought to himself.

Celena and Masurao ran into the village a few seconds later. The Malboro was already there, fending off Vidina's assault. Haseo was nowhere to be seen, presumably at the temple getting his spear. Masurao gasped when he felt a vine wrap around his ankle. He cried out on shock as the Malboro dragged him towards him. The fiend lifted him into the air and let out a deep rumbling growl.

"Get me down from here!" Masurao cried out fearfully.

"Hold on brudda!" Vidina cried. He gripped the blitzball, the weapon beign covered in fire. He hurled it at the Malboro, aiming at it's eyes. Unfortunately, the Malboro saw this coming. He opened his mouth, the blitzball falling in. He swallowed with a look of satisfaction on his face. Vidina, Celena and Masurao both stared in shock at the fiend. "Well, I didn't see that coming." Vidina said quietly.

"Burn!"

The Malboro shrieked as it's eyes caught on fire. Lulu walked towards the beast, the rest of the group running up behind her. Yuna aimed and with pinpoint precision fired a bullet that cut the thinnest part of the vine holding up Masurao. The boy cried out and landed on his back with a small thud. The Malboro cried as it's vine flailed around it. Haseo surged forward and caught the flailing appendage. A blue aura covered his hand; the light spreading to the fiend and turning green. The Malboro shrieked as the aura retracted to Hasoe, his hand glowing green. He had a small smirk on his face as he lifted his spear and cut into the base of the Malboro.

"Haseo, pull back!" Lulu commanded. Malboro roared and tried striking Haseo, but he had already jumped back and landed near the black mage.

"I here Malboro's are fans of eating things they shouldn't." Rikku said playfully as she gently tossed a small metal ball into the air and caught it. "Here you go tall, dark, and ugly!" she cried before tossing the grenade into Malboro's mouth. The grenade flew in and the Malboro frowned.

"This will be messy." Haseo muttered with a small frown.

Haseo was wrong however. Rather than exploding completely, the grenade exploded and caught the beast on fire. The group stared in shock. "It's on fire." Masurao said quietly. "It's a Malboro, and now it's on fire."

"Is it dead?" Yuna asked.

Malboro roared loudly and charged at the group.

"That'd be a no." Gippal answered a she pointed his large gun at it. It launched a missile that flew into the Malboro, hitting it and finally causing it to explode. Guts and skin from the fiend rained from everywhere, covering the buildings and group.

"Nice job." Lulu said bluntly. "No really, wonderful. You caught it on fire, and then blew it up all over us."

"Not your best moments guys." Loaño said bluntly.

"Yes well," Yuna said calmly as she whipped the hideous slime from her face. "Maybe it was messy, but it's better than what the other fiends did." She looked towards the forest when she heard a deep growling noise. Emerging from the trees were two large fiends. Yuna suddenly remembered two things from her sphere hunter days. Malboro stink on the outside but worse on the inside. And what was worse?

Malboro are attracted to putrid smells.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Barrier Mania

The metal on Loaño's arms extended suddenly, creating a pair of sharp gauntlets with curved blades. "Let's raise some hell!" she cried.

"We need to draw these things away from the town. It's too close to fight them here." Yuna said. "One of the villagers might get hurt in the crossfire."

"No problem." Lulu said as she raised her arms and brought them down. A pillar of fire struck one of the Malboro's, making it angrier. The two charged at the group, but they broke into two groups. Celena's group led one of the Malboro's away from the village while Yuna's did the same. The group moved quickly through the forest with the Malboro roaring and following behind. Celena stopped when the group got to a fairly open space and turned to the fiend.

"Okay Lo, now you can raise hell." Celena said confidently.

"Yeah!" Loaño cried before charging towards the Malboro. He tried grabbing her with a tentacle, but Loaño jumped up into the air. She pulled her fist back and slammed it down onto the top of it's head. The Malboro roared at her and one of it's eyes popped. It covered Loaño in a disgusting liquid that burned her skin. "Ow, get it off!" she cried in pain.

"Hold on Lo!" Masurao cried. His hands glowed white as he ran to his cousin. He placed them on her shoulder, the aura covering her. "Esuna." He said calmly as the liquid evaporated.

"Wow, nice job." Loaño said as the burning faded away.

"Thanks." Masurao said, but pushed her down when the Malboro tried grabbing them again.

"Crap!" Celena cried. "How many of us can actually fight?"

"The other one ate my ball and I suck at magic without it." Vidina answered ashamedly.

"I don't have my sword." Masurao said. He gasped when his hooked sword was imbedded in the ground in front of him. He looked up to see Haseo holding his spear and the handle of his sword. "Oh look, my sword." Masurao said weakly. He got up and pulled the blade out. "Okay, that makes three of us." He said confidently.

"Oh, you mean you can actually fight effectively now?" Loaño asked.

"Define effectively." Haseo answered for the other boy.

"Hey!" Masurao cried but then frowned. "No actually, you're right. I suck with a sword."

"Great, this should be fun." Loaño said honestly. "More for me then." She charged at the Malboro and punched the side of it's body, the blade cutting it. It roared out and smacked her aside with a tentacle root. Loaño flipped through the air and landed on the ground easily. She charged at the Malboro's back, cutting and punching into it. "I'm not strong but I'm fast!" she cried confidently. She cut deeply into the Malboro with each attack of her claw weapon. It roared and shook violently, on of it's roots grabbing her ankle and flinging her aside. It turned to her, opening it's mouth full of razor sharp teeth. It charged at her, it's mouth open wide.

Haseo appeared suddenly, forcing his spear into the monster's mouth. The blade cut into it's gums and the pole wedged itself between it's rows of teeth. The Malboro roared angrily as it pulled back, trying to knock the spear out with it's slimy tongue. The spear slowly began dissolving as the Malboro covered it in it's acidic saliva. Loaño took her chance though, and began cutting into the beast's backside again. The Malboro turned on her, trying to strike her with it's vines but she was far too quick. She easily flipped back, jumped forward, and pierced the beast's soft cheek, tearing through it. Loaño grimaced and pulled out quickly while the plant fiend roared with rage.

"Loaño!" Haseo barked. The quick girl took a moment to look at Haseo who wordlessly pointed elsewhere. Loaño looked for a moment before smiling. "Yeah I get it." She answered with a smirk. "Alright ugly, you want me?" Loaño turned, spanking her butt and sticking her tongue out. "Come and get me!" she cried. The Malboro bellowed loudly, the spear finally snapping in two. It charged towards Loaño who quickly ran ahead. The Malboro chased after her, being directed in the forest.

Loaño jumped up a tree, making sure the Malboro saw her. It turned, righting itself before charging at her and knocking the tree over. Loaño jumped to another tree just as the first fell, the Malboro roaring and charging again. It knocked over the next tree, Loaño escaping once again. The Malboro seemed to grow angry, taking a deep breath. It bellowed as it unleashed a cloud of dark green smog from it's breath. Loaño was forced to take a drastic measure, jumping back to the clearing. She narrowly avoided the cloud of smog, the disgusting air moving on to rot several trees and make them fall.

The ghost of a smirk appeared on Haseo's face as he watched. The tree the Malboro had hit fell as it rotted, hitting the second one. This one fell as well, hitting several others, some weakened and some not. Before long the Malboro was covered in trees, leaves, and vines that were tangled up with it's body. A large circle had been made where all of the trees had folded in on the Malboro, keeping it away from the rest of the forest.

"You guys trapped it!" Masurao cheered.

"Nice job Lo!" Vidina congratulated as he helped her up.

"We're not quite done yet." Loaño answered as she looked to Haseo. He nodded and put his hands together. He meshed his fingers together, his pointed and middle fingers sticking up against each other. He took a deep breath, his hands covered in a red aura. "Fire Breath!" Haseo sent a thin jet of flames from his mouth, the flames spreading out when it hit the weakened trees. The Malboro hollowed with pain as it's prison went up in flames, igniting it's own plant-like body. Within minutes the beast was completely covered in fire. Haseo stopped, breathing heavily as he watched the Malboro shriek once more before dieing away. The flames raged on for a moment before dieing away due to the trees being sectioned off and collapsing onto each other.

"Wow, nice job Haseo!" Celena congratulated.

"Hey, I did the hard stuff!" Loaño snapped. "I'd like to see Haseo jump around like that!"

"Too bad about my ball and your spear though, huh brudda?" Vidina muttered. Haseo looked at him for a moment before walking over and sifting through the ashes. A few seconds later Vidina's charred ball rolled towards him, hitting his leg slightly. Vidina picked it up, feeling parts of it flake off. "I think I'll just get anotha one." he muttered, right before the ball completely collapsed into a pile of ashes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Celena helped Masato sit up, careful not to hurt his reattached arm. The roaring and explosions of the battle had woken him up, though he had only just recently gotten enough strength to sit up. Celena brought a plate over, a large red apple on it. "Hungry?" she asked, Masato nodding in return. She carefully cut the fruit up into small bits for Masato.

She stopped for a moment, wondering if she should let Masato try to use his healed arm to grab the first piece himself. Would he need rehabilitation after his arm was severed for so long? How long had it been severed for that matter? Did he make it to the village soon after being broken, or did he wander around the island for a while? Masato seemed to answer her question for her, slowly bringing his arm over and picking the apple piece up.

Masato winced, his arm sluggish and unresponsive. He put all of his strength into moving his arm coherently, but it was like moving it through gelatin. He tried moving his fingers but could barely make them twitch. Celena smiled reassuringly and picked the piece up for him, putting it near his mouth. He grudgingly opened his mouth and ate the fruit, trying to ignore the shot to his pride. "Relax." Celena said when she saw his expressions. "Aunt Rikku said that your arm still won't be useable for a day or two. Just take your time, alright?"

"Yeah I guess." Masato muttered after swallowing his food.

Haseo stood up suddenly, moving from his spot in the back of the room and leaving the tent. Celena frowned, wondering what had happened to make him leave but figured he would be alright on his own. 'I should probably talk to him later.' She thought.

Haseo walked out of the tent, his arms crossed over his chest. "That was painful to watch." Loaño said, leaning against a near by tree. She smiled at Haseo and shook her head. "Painful dude. I don't even think she knows that you left because you're jealous."

"I'm not." Haseo answered quietly.

"Oh yeah you are." Loaño insisted, walking towards Haseo. "And my poor cousin is too modest to ever think anyone could be jealous of anyone spending time with her."

"I'm not." Haseo said again, slightly raising his voice.

"You're in denial man." Loaño said again with a shrug. "You're in denial about your feelings. You don't think you're jealous and you don't think you're in love with Celena. But let me tell you," Loaño got a bit closer, poking Haseo's arm. "You love Celena, and you feel like tearing off the limbs of any man that gets near her. Remember how long it took you to get used to Vidina?"

"He's too friendly." Haseo answered.

"Friendly?" Loaño asked incredulously. "Well duh! Of course he's friendly. It's why everyone loves him the minute they meet him. Except, that is, for you. You glared at him, and growled at him, and snapped at him for at least a month before you finally decided he wasn't a threat to your chance with Celena."

"I protect her." Haseo answered, walking away.

"Protect her from what?" Loaño asked as she followed. "Protect her form Vidina? You're kidding right?"

Haseo shook his head. "Masato."

"Oh, well I guess that makes a little more sense." Loaño muttered to herself. "Still, you have to admit that part of the reason why you don't like him, or any guy for that matter, is not because they look like a threat to Celena but because they look like threats to your chances with Celena."

"No," Haseo insisted weakly.

"Yes." Loaño insisted, poking his chest. "Admit it. You love my cousin. You have since you first met when you were eleven and ten. You've protected her since day three for a few reasons, but the biggest one is that you have feelings for her."

Haseo fell silent, looking away from Loaño. The blonde girl tried looking up into Haseo's eyes, but as usual his golden eyes were blank. They only hinted at his conflicted emotions, his jealousy, love, denial, and pride. He looked away, pushing Loaño back slightly. She was forced back a little too hard, forced to catch herself on a nearby house. She was about to say something when someone interrupted her.

"Excuse me." A pleasant voice inquired. The two looked over at the newcomer. He had dark blue hair, the long bangs stretching down and covering the right half of his face. He wore a bright red shirt and baggy pants. He wore three belts, each of them looped through the front and back rings of his pants. He had black boots on and a thin sword at his waist. He had thin wire frame glasses on his pale face. "This is Besaid correct?" he asked politely.

"Yeah." Loaño answered, a little confused as to why this stranger wouldn't know what island he was one. She looked to Haseo, who seemed to be very weary of the stranger.

"Excellent!" he cried with a smile. "So then the temple should be close by, yes?"

"Again, yeah." Loaño answered. "It's that huge building over there. You know, the one that looks like a big temple."

"Oh!" the stranger cried with a look of realization on his face. He turned and gave the two an embarrassed smile. "Yes well, I suppose that would be it then wouldn't it?" he chuckled. "Well thank you very much for your help." With that he turned and walked towards the temple. The two teens looked at each other, both of them clearly worried about the stranger.

"Hey!" Loaño cried over as they ran to the boy. "What do you want with the temple?"

"Hm?" the boy muttered as he looked back at them. "Oh nothing much. I'm just researching something is all." He answered with a small smile. He turned to walk on but Haseo put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"No offense man, but things have been really weird around here lately." Loaño said, making no effort to hide the accusing tone in her voice. "So when some weird guy comes up, not knowing where he is, and asking about the temple for some weird research it's bound to raise a few flags."

The boy smiled at the two, letting out a small sigh. "Please, I assure you that I have no intention of harming anyone unless you get in my way."

"That sounds like something a bad guy would say." Loaño accused calmly.

"That sounds like someone asking for a fight would say." The boy answered, his emerald eyes glowing with contempt. The boy brought his hand down to the sword at his waist, but in a flash Haseo grabbed him by the neck and tossed him towards one of the homes. He landed with a crash as he broke through a few barrels and boxes. The people around it fled, sensing that something was wrong with the scene if it madew the calm Haseo toss the boy so violently.

They were smart to run.

The boy stood up, panting heavily as he did so. "Oh dear." He wheezed. "I can't believe this really is ending in violence. I do so wish they had sent someone else. I'm not the offensive type." He straightened up, picking his glasses up and putting them on. "But they didn't, so I'll have to make do." He added with a small smile.

Loaño, her gauntlets activated, stared at the boy. He seemed laid back, as if they weren't even fighting. "This guy is either a moron, or really dangerous." She warned, Haseo nodding in agreement. The blonde girl quickly assessed the situation. 'A mystery guy with a sword. Not knowing where he is implies he may have a form of long distance teleportation or something like that. Haseo is weaponless, and I don't have my grenades on me. Come to think of it, the only one that has his weapon is Masurao and he doesn't really count.' She turned to the tense white haired boy beside her. "Go find Yuna and the others. I'll hold him off."

Haseo seemed reluctant for a moment before nodding. His hands glowed green for a moment ad he took a deep breath. A thin jet of green gas flew from his mouth, exploding into a thick cloud of smoke that filled the area when it hit the ground. Loaño took her chance and hid while Haseo moved to find the adults. The gas cleared soon enough, revealing an empty area.

"My, quiet a skill." The boy said. "Rather stinky though. That was a Malboro's Bad Breath ability if I remember right. How odd for a human to use it. I must make a note to research that later." He looked around, unable to find Loaño. He knew though, that the moment he took a step towards the temple she would ambush him. He shrugged, realizing that waiting would be too boring. He moved towards the temple, raising an eyebrow when another smokescreen appeared.

"It's not a grenade but it'll work!" Loaño cried from within the smoke. She flew down from above, aiming to take out a leg so the boy wouldn't be able to move. Her blades aimed for his shin, ready to cut in but to her surprise her attack was stopped. A shield surrounded the boy, a blue barrier that glowed around him. He smiled at Loaño, his right arm raised up.

"As I said, I'm not the offensive type." He said with a simple smile. "I'm the defensive type. Try as many times as you like, but my barrier is impassable." Loaño landed and tried again, but the moment she got close to Masato the barrier prevented her attack. She tried again and again but each time the barrier merely flashed and repelled her attack.

"Let me in you bastard!" she cried.

"Okay." the boy answered calmly as his barrier shrank. Loaño fell forward, her punch carrying her forward since she had expected to be stopped by the barrier. In a flash a wall of energy knocked into her, sending her staggering back. The boy brought his arm out, the energy wall flying forward and pushing Loaño back. She was slammed into a tree before the wall disappeared. "What's wrong?" he asked calmly. "I thought you wanted my barrier to drop."

"Shut up." Loaño growled angrily.

The boy shrugged, a round shield appearing above Loaño and pressing her down to the ground. She cried out as the barrier crushed her down into the ground, squeezing the air from her lungs. She gasped in pain as she felt the shield, forcing her down into the ground. The boy watched with the same calm smile as before, obviously not caring that he was squeezing the life out of the young girl. On the contrary, he seemed to like it.

"Loaño!" a shocked voice cried out.

The boy looked over, in time to see a black gloved fist plant itself in his face and force him to stagger back. Shield disappeared, Loaño gasping for some much needed air. She got up, gasping and glaring angrily at the boy. She looked over to see her savior, a smile forming on her face. "Hey." She wheezed quietly.

"It's been a while Loaño. Too bad we had to see each other again under such bas conditions."

"You." The boy said, a frown set on his face as he staggered back up. It was quickly replaced by a wide smile though as he knew who the new man was. "My, how lucky of me to meet you. I really am curious about you, you know. Quite Curious in deed, Tidus."

The blond haired man only glared at the boy. He set a large sword down next to him, drawing a smaller sword from his side. "You seem to know my name, but I haven't got a clue about you. So what is it? And why are you here?" He asked angrily.

"Ah yes, I should introduce myself. Quite rude of me." The boy said as he adjusted his glasses. "My name is Akuma. I am one of the Eight Dark Sages."


End file.
